Sandra Spivey interviews with Madison County school board, promotes theme of teamwork

Sandra Spivey, director of secondary education for Madison County schools, interviews with the board today as one of five finalists to become superintendent. (The Huntsville Times/Dave Dieter)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The Madison County Board of Education kicked off interviews for the superintendent's position with an in-house candidate who promoted teamwork and consensus.

Dr. Sandra Spivey, the system's director of secondary education, met with the board in the first public interview in the process to find a replacement for retiring Superintendent Terry Davis.

The board this week will interview four other finalists. All candidates received questions from the board in advance.

A common thread throughout Spivey's hour-long interview was working together --- whether it be faculty with the principal or superintendent with the board.

"I would work to establish a true partnership based on trust, candor and mutual respect," Spivey said when asked about the relationship between the superintendent and the board.

As director of secondary education, Spivey supervises the principals at the system's five high schools and told the board she routinely "goes on rounds" to all the high schools to foster working relationships with the principals.

"We often have to sit down and make tough decisions and solve problems together," Spivey said. "I have not made a big decision by myself. We have always 100 percent of the time come to a consensus."

Spivey touted her 22 years of experience in education as being a strength, having worked in four different school systems that gave her insight into the best ways to make a system prosper.

Spivey, who holds a doctorate in education from Auburn University, has served as a teacher in Phenix City, a teacher, assistant principal and principal in Alexander City and director of human resources and principal at Hoover High School. She took her current job in Madison County in 2007.

Along the way, Spivey said she worked with Tommy Bice (who is now state superindent) as well as Steve Savarese (president of the Alabama High School Athletic Association). She described Bice as "a personal friend."

"What I learned along the way would not have been possible if I had stayed in one place," Spivey said. "I considered it a blessing to accept those opportunities.

"I don't hesitate to call and seek out advice or ask questions when I think there's somebody out there who has the best advice to give."

Improvements the system could make, Spivey said, would be to enhance relationships with the community and seek out input from parents.

Spivey continued her work-together theme when asked where she would look to make budget cuts if state funding were to be slashed by 10 percent.

"We're bare bones across the board as it is," Spivey said. "We would have to put our heads together with the (chief financial officer) and the principals and look at every single area in the school system like we've already done and establish priorities and make recommendations, and the goal would have to be to have the least negative impact on students."